Showery Heat
by klcm
Summary: Seeing Morgan in a towel changes Garcia view of life... *Spoilers for 7x13 "Snake Eyes"*


**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Boo!**

**A.N: **_So seeing as that photo of Morgan in a towel's gone viral and everyone's muses are snapping, mine decided to join! Little one-shot here, some is based on the actually video that was aired on The Ellen Show... Hope you enjoy! _

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Showery Heat -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope looked up at best friend and tried her damn hardest not to cry. She knew if she cried it would only result in a hug and right at that moment, with Derek Morgan standing butt naked under one of her towels she didn't know if she could deal with having too much of _him_ close by.

Not only that, she was trying to get her heart to stop pounding because at that moment she was convinced that if it thrashed any harder it was going to escape from her chest. That she knew was going to be messy.

As if to make matters worse, her mind was reeling at the pure sight of him. The man she had lusted over for years was standing before her in a sight that she had only been imaginable for her. Her mind was in overdrive.

"We have a case," Derek's voice broke in her train of thought as he remained standing in the arch way that separated her bedroom from her living room.

She might be counting the cons now, but she was thankful that he had been in the shower whilst she had taken the phone call she had gotten only minutes earlier. He hadn't heard a thing obviously and right now she was covering up her misery with pure, unadulterated shock. _Success!_

Obviously from Derek mentioning the case he hadn't heard her bite back to Kevin's childish nit picking and snipes at finding their clothes strewn everywhere in her small apartment.

"Yeah I know, JJ called me," She told him, "I guess we better get going."

_So far, so good, Garice_, she chided herself as she went and grabbed the clothes off of her lamp trying to tidy up around him. She wanted to be occupied away from her mind and away from her eyes looking over the statuesquely perfect man that stood just behind her.

"Let me just get my things," She said and moved away, "That's mine. And that's one. Oh that's yours," She said as she held a pair of his boxers and she threw them down. She then just automatically headed for the front door to leave grabbing her coat and bag as she went. "See you there," She told him and left in a fluster.

"Uh, Penelope," Derek called out as she continued to leave for work. He was confused why she was acting like this and he had no idea where her head was at but it clearly wasn't going to be where it needed to be. "Baby Girl, you might wanna get changed first."

He watched Penelope come back into the apartment, her cheeks flaming red, her hair still messy with the eye mask sitting on top, her bright floral pyjamas clashing with her light floral coat. She sheepishly took her coat off and then looked around.

"I think you need a coffee, Mamma," He told her with an amused smirk.

Nodding, Penelope tried to avert her eyes from looking at his chiselled, glistening body. "You're right, but I'm going for a shower first." She told him and darted for the bathroom.

Closing the door she put her back to it and breathed out heavily. She closed her eyes and thought how messed up this all way. Her best friend stayed the night which included a few too many beers, too many films and too many awkward touchy feely moments. Now – the morning after – their clothes were mingling, her best friend stood half naked in her apartment, her boyfriend had seen the state of her place and to top it all she had been dumped – over the phone. This was going to be an incredibly _great_ day she could tell. Opening her eyes she realised there were no clothes in here and she wasn't doing a Derek Morgan and leaving the bathroom in just a towel. She quickly left the room and came face to face with Derek.

"That was quick," Derek commented jokingly as he now stood in his boxers, his t-shirt in his hands.

Penelope felt her heart beat even faster as her flustered state took a hold again. She looked around her bedroom and then at her wardrobe, "Forgot clothes." She told him and quickly grabbed a dress and underwear before running back into

_Why now, Penelope? Why?_ She mentally screamed at herself. _Why did you have to fall in love with your best friend?_ _Things would be so simple if he'd been gay! _She continually berated herself mentally as she turned the shower on and undressed. Penelope stood under her shower and usually when the showery heat ran over her it offered her a solace, right now it was offering her anything but that. Every time she shut her eyes to relax she saw Derek and heard Kevin's rant. _Didn't do anything? Even you can't be _that_ naive, Penny! He's in your bed practically naked! _Kevin didn't need to know that he was naked, but either way he didn't believe her that nothing had happened. That it was purely innocent. Then her eyes pinged opened and she ignored the water running down her face. It was like she was having an epiphany. Her first in this life time she was sure. Standing there she was sure everything that had happened had happened for a reason.

After all that was her motto right?

Years of wondering about loving Derek seemed to be finalised. She going to sort her life out and then she was going to see what could potentially happen with her and Derek because something was building between them. This had to be a check point towards the point of no return surely?

Yet something didn't settle in her as she thought about it. Maybe she was just feeling the after ache of being dumped and was looking for the nearest source of comfort.

Reaching out, she turned the water off and went about getting ready.

She didn't have time to stand around and analyse.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Showery Heat -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"So why were you leaving with your pyjamas on and clothes in hand?" Derek asked her as he took a seat on the bar that overlooked her kitchen and watched her as she kept her back to him. He had watched her put her makeup on and fix her hair into a simply mess of curls before she had gone into her kitchen to make coffee.

Penelope wiped her face free of tears and turned back to face him with her coffee in hand, "Eager to get to work I guess."

"Even though we aren't needed until nine?" He asked her as he watched her shrugged, "What's really up, Baby Girl?" He questioned her as he sat and profiled her. "You haven't been right since I got out of the shower. I mean if you're uncomfortable with me walking around in a towel then I will make sure it never happens again – if it ever even happens again. I mean, Christ, if Lynch had turned up that could've gotten messy."

At that Penelope's face crumpled and she began to cry.

Derek was immediately on his feet and comforting her instantly, "You need to talk to me here, Pen, because I can't do anything until I know what's gotten you so off you." He pulled back enough to see her newly placed make up running down her face.

"It did get messy," She hiccupped between crying to him.

It didn't take him long to put two and two together, "When?" He questioned, "I don't see how he'd possibly have known I was here."

"Whilst you were in the shower he called," Penelope said as she tried to compose herself, "Before we even woke up he had been here." She shrugged as Derek stepped back and was grateful for not being mollycoddled.

Derek stood shocked. Penelope had gone to bed clad in pyjama bottoms and long top and, for hell; she'd even wore a face mask! There was no way he was being granted to seeing any of Penelope's skin apart from the usual places. After falling asleep on the couch together, Penelope had offered him the other half of the bed once they had woken up hours later and had practically dragged him with her claiming she had a big bed. He knew he should have kept his boxers on, but Penelope had joked and told him to treat her bed like his, minus the women. Of course, last night he had the woman of his dreams sleeping next to him so he was happy to oblige and obliged he had.

"It doesn't matter. I'm single again and after his behaviour I plan to keep it that way where Kevin Lynch is concerned." Penelope breathed out finally as she finished that sentence. She then cocked an eyebrow as she looked down at Derek, noticing that he wasn't dressed so he should have been. "Can I just ask why you're back in your towel again?" Penelope asked amused. Her tone of voice was still to flat to carry her normal Penelope Pizzazz. "I mean you were getting dressed."

"Yeah, about that," Derek said awkwardly, "My clothes are filthy from when I spilt my beer down me last night and they've got food stuck to them so I was wondering if you'd run to my car and get my go-bag for me? Bit embarrassing to go to work in not only yesterday's clothes, but dirty yesterday's clothes."

"Gimme your keys and I'll be quick," Penelope told him as she gave him a smile and tried to look less like a crying mess and more like happy go luck self. "Don't worry, I see them, Hot Stuff," She commented as she saw them on the side table by the door. She moved out of the kitchen area and grabbed her shoes as she went.

Watching her, Derek couldn't mistake how the sadness added another depth to her beauty, but he wanted to heal her and make her feel loved like she should. After all, she shouldn't have to defend any relationship to her boyfriend. Never. Derek took a stand, he went to her and grabbed her wrist, turning her to look at him as he spoke what he had kept on lock down for what felt like forever.

"I love you, Baby Girl," Derek told her, "Have for way too long, but you always had Lynch. I didn't see my chance. Now I see it. I've seen it for a while. I'm in love with you." He admitted to her and he could see how she didn't believe him for a moment. He knew there was only one thing for it now.

Without a thought, Derek pulled her close and kissed her. Something he had dreamt about doing for too long and as he continued the kiss he realised that his body relaxed and lost some of the sexual tension as he knew this was the beginning.

The fact that Penelope was responding to the kiss told him that.

Penelope laughed in disbelief as they separated again, "I've just been dumped and you just declared love to the rebound girl, Handsome."

"You'd never be the rebound girl in my eyes," Derek told her calmly and almost seductively.

"Derek," Penelope doubted, her mind still swirling crazily as a result of the kiss. She had never seen fireworks when she kissed a man and she had always thought it was a fairytale myth. Now she was a firm believer that the legend was truth.

"I think we're getting a little too old to waste opportunities that we've ignored for years," Derek told her as an apology for kissing her so suddenly.

"Speak for yourself," Penelope teased back. "I've still got a good few years in me."

"Good, that means you can get over Lynch and get on me," Derek told her and before he could grab it, his towel dropped. He weighed the options quickly as Penelope became flustered again and he nodded impressed at the timing, "Or you can get on me now."

_His boxers must be dirty too_, Penelope thought wryly as she looked down as if in inspection.

The pair knew they were going to be a little bit late for work and for once neither cared.

Take the moment or waste the moment.

Penelope was taking Derek's lead on this one and sorting her life out.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Showery Heat -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**The End**

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Showery Heat -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


End file.
